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b"sdPlaces we go. Far and near.Planned or otherwise. Sometimes it seems like starting from the ride out of the birth canal till the final stop, can be labeled a journey with stops along the way. We can't plan the length of our journies and at times we dont plan the stops.Perhaps we do have input though, in the direction were going and the excitement in working on getting there.Have a good one; h

I wanted to do some interesting comparative tastings between 2 high quality and unusual blends, the 2010 Latour Netofa and 2010 Shirah Syrah-Mourvèdre, the Netofa being also a blend of these varieties. They could hardly be more different one from the other.

Domaine Netofa, Latour Rouge 2010: The second vintage for the flagship red wine of Miodownick's winery at Mitzpe Netofa in the Lower Galilee. A blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre that spent 13 months in french oak barrels. Very dark garnet towards purple with on the nose blackberries, plums, saddle leather, cigar tobacco, wet dirt and freshly ground pepper. Medium to full-bodied with on the palate blackberries, loamy dirt, black pepper, plums, graphite and more minerals, roasted game meat with a note of oregano, smoked wood and nice supporting acidity and tannins that linger on the long and earthy finish. I can't think of a single israeli wine that resembles this one (aside from its "little brother" Domaine), it has matured nicely since I first had it about a year or so ago and its elements have finally come together. Very old world in style, quite restrain. I'd be really interested to give it another shot in some 3 or 4 years.

Shirah Wine Co., Thompson Vineyard, Syrah/Mourvèdre 2010: A blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Mourvèdre, both sourced from the Thompson Vineyard in Santa Barbara County and aged for 24 months in french oak barrels out of which 1/3rd were new. Dark, very thick garnet in color with a purple hue. On the nose, some tropical and white stone fruit including citrus notes, fresh wild blueberries, cinnamon and ripe blackberries. Full-bodied and layered with the highest (bracing) acidity I've encountered so far in a (bottled) Shirah wine with sweet ripe (but not overripe) red and black fruit with loads of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and a hint of cherries with warm and sweet spices such as cinnamon and cloves, chocolate, leather and tar with sweet vanilla-flavored tobacco and almost chewy tannins that gently rise and coat the mouth on the very long finish. So different from the Netofa, so new world, so fruit-forward, so good! By far the best Shirah wine I've tasted so far structure-wise. Awesome wine!

Shabbat lunch:

Carmel, Appellation, Petite Sirah Old Vines 2005: Dead. Drink up. Thank G-d I had some leftover from the Netofa.

2010 Weinstock Select Cabernet Sauvignon: This was nice, got an interesting earthiness to it. This wine, their petite sirah and cabernet franc are starting to make me look at Weinstock as a QPR winery, although I have yet to try the zinfandel.

Friday night, awesome 2010 Zin. Lunch- so hot, just a continuation of the Zin, and beer (Sierra NEvada Ruthless Rye and Red Hook Pilsener). With Mishnah Berurah group, a very mediocre bottle of 2010 Cab. The stuff in the winery was tasting so good, the stuff stored in the hallway of my house is tasting so bad, yet stored OK.

I enjoyed a lovely bottle of Hagafen Cellars Sauvignon Blanc (my last unfortunately) and nice bottle of Dalton Winery| יקב דלתון Shiraz Reserve. The Shiraz was a bit sweet but nice, though with no blue fruit. The Sauvignon Blanc was bracingly acidic and had wonderful tart grapefruit flavors.

Makom Grenache Blanc 2012, Hajdu Wines - Describing this wine is becoming more of a challenge to me, the more I think about it. Elie Poltorak thinks of it in terms of a Riesling; I don't. The wine does have an acidic bite, with flavors of lemon drops, that could lead someone to think of it in those terms. However, the wine also has a soft underbelly, who's flavors are of melons, papaya and guava, and finishes with a tinge of bitterness, so much so that I would not consider this wine as one to sip on its own. If I had to choose a wine that is most reminiscent of it, it would be the Alma White from Dalton. That it's taking awhile to wrap my mind around this wine, adds to its appeal; that it's taking this long for my palate to embrace it, detracts from it. 14% AbV and $25 directly from the winemaker. B-/**/Y